Mannequin Ensemble
Mannequin Ensemble was theatre for theatre people. Done in the same tone as Gogol’s The Government Inspector, the play was an over-the-top satire, ripe with laughs and gags. There were several clever moments on the part of the writers as well as the actors. The character of Turnipberry was a delight to watch, as was the character of Viktor. And while the script itself and actors were quite good overall, the production was amateurish. The staging at several points caused one actor to block the audience’s view of another, characters spoke toward the back of the stage (diction and volume were problems throughout), and not enough pause was taken to let the audience laugh at a punchline, causing some dialogue to be drowned out. Although well-written, Mannequin Ensemble could have used tighter direction.
—Emma Sarconi
The Long Run
The Long Run was the best piece of Friday’s performances. Beautifully written, the dialogue was effortless, the characters were believable as well as relatable, and the message of the play was thought provoking. It walked the line between simple and complex perfectly. Not too short and not too long, The Long Run did what the best theatre is supposed to do: it left you wanting more. It was not a perfect performance: at some moments, it felt like the actors were waiting for their cue instead of “reacting” to the scene, but nothing so big that it broke the illusion of the world of the play. Hopefully, playwright/director Rachel Grantz will continue to produce more theatre like The Long Run, because she is truly a gem.
—ES
Thick Blood
Two siblings and a friend argue over finding a gay magazine in their younger brother’s room. One sibling is supportive, the other isn’t for religious reasons, and the friend is the voice of reason. You know what happens, you know where this is going. Thick Blood ran like a predictable after-school special or a bad high school presentation promoting diversity and acceptance. The acting and production were very good, everything moved on stage like it should, and the emotions on stage were believable. The bigoted older brother did well with the material he had. The struggle of the possibly-gay (it’s never confirmed as he never appears) younger brother, however, is only briefly touched upon, as the majority of the play’s emphasis is on the emotional turmoil between the two siblings. The play never asks “does it really matter if the brother is gay?” nor does it adequately explore or confront the assumption presented by the brother that being gay is a choice separate from one’s identity. Furthermore, it was especially disappointing that it was never discussed how neither sibling had the right nor business to out their brother to anyone, even (or maybe especially) their parents. Although there was clearly a lot of passion and emotion behind Thick Blood, sadly, the work didn’t raise any new perspectives on the issue and drastically oversimplified such a complex situation.
—ES
Arriver, Aimer et Partir
The premise of Arriver, Aimer et Partir might as well have been that of your next favourite indie movie with Zooey Deschanel. Noa (Alberta Robinet) asks stranger Ethan (Calvin Akler) to help her move in but ends up staying permanently at his place when she discovers her apartment sucks. The two bond over sharing their quirky goals, such as Ethan wanting to build a glider that can take you wherever the wind blows. While the script aims to be a contemplation of life, it tries too hard to be cute to pull it off successfully.
—Assunta Alegiani
Days Like These
Days Like These did well in portraying the everyday banality that dissolves a marriage but failed to bring anything new to the table. The story of the perfect couple that is brought down by disillusionment, both in life and each other, has been told one too many times — here the couple is Janet (Alexandra Spyropoulos) and Alan (Christian Tribuzio). Admittedly, Spyropoulos and Tribuzio did a great job playing out the resentful nagging that foreshadows at the impending doom their marriage is approaching, often with comic relief. But when Alan’s best friend Joey (Adam Cresswell) comes to stay with them because his wife has come out as a lesbian (Friends, anyone?) it appears writer Andrew Di Rosa used the same How To Write A Script Guide as Tommy Wiseau: Joey and Janet hook up. From here on the plot goes down the drain and turns a promising examination of marriage into a “so what?”
—AA
